Article excerpt

Like former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton
will soon write a regular newspaper column, aimed at presenting an
unfiltered view of herself to the public.

Like Roosevelt, who wrote 12 books and co-wrote six others, Mrs.
Clinton has also written a book to be published this fall, titled
"It Takes a Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us."

Also like Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton held an official position
in her husband's administration; both came under fire for their
roles and left their overt public policymaking positions. On a more
fundamental level, both have functioned as eyes and ears for their
husbands and as emissaries to important Democratic constituencies.

But as much as the historical reputation of Eleanor Roosevelt is
largely positive, Hillary Clinton can't seem to win that part of
the analogy. In her 2-1/2 years as one of the most powerful
unelected people in the democratic world, her favorability rating
has crept steadily downward - from a Gallup Poll high of 67 percent
in January 1993 to 49 percent as of March 1995.

Does any of this really matter? Allan Lichtman, an American
University historian with a system for predicting presidential
races, says first ladies are "irrelevant" to their husbands'
reelection chances, even when they have played important policy
roles.

Rather, the fascination with first ladies derives from their
unique access to the most powerful person in the world, in addition
to their status as role models for women.

Is Hillary Clinton really running her husband from behind the
throne? Or has she been "put in her place" and told to stick with
the "safe issues" such as women and children? In Washington,
Hillary-gazing is a never-ending parlor game. And the
Hillary-as-Eleanor theme is a constant component.

Clinton herself has encouraged the analogy by referring often to
Roosevelt and her legacy.

"Everywhere I go, I find Eleanor has been there," Clinton said
recently in announcing her plan to write a weekly column.

"There are pictures of Eleanor visiting the Children's Welfare
Society as I walk through the hallways. There are columns attacking
Eleanor for things I'm attacked for. Nothing is original when it
comes to this position because of the extraordinary woman that she
was."

Since before Clinton became first lady, she has had a running
dialogue with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of the
Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the Roosevelts, "No Ordinary Time."
They have talked about Roosevelt's writings, her press conferences,
and her activism, Ms. …